The people possess the cultural wealth and know-how and have unexploited potential and they must be supported so that they can take control of the country’s development.

For the last ten years, Lalao Flaurence Randriamampionona (64), an anthropologist and sociologist, has been actively involved in diverse development activities involving women, children and the most impoverished in Madagascar. Lalao delegates some of her duties to her team members in the organizations she leads or is a member of. She advocates teamwork and participatory approaches from members of her team and the local population, who are the prime beneficiaries of the development projects she has initiated. She considers them a source of untapped knowledge.

Lalao Flaurence Randriamampionona lives in Antananarivo, Madagascar. She is married, has one child and one grandchild. From 1995 to 1999, she was among the few specialists that provided training on gender to different organizations in Madagascar. Through DRV, a coalition of women associations, she is involved in activities in four major areas: the empowerment of women, promoting the country’s cultural heritage, access to resources and governance. Since 1996 she has worked with different NGOs primarily in poverty eradication. In 2001, she represented Madagascar at the African Forum on Poverty Reduction Strategies organized by the World Bank and others, and was elected speaker for 34 countries at the forum. These NGOs examine the development and implementation of fair economic systems, access to resources and safeguard of the environment and ecology. The organizations under her leadership, namely DRV, Taratra and Fiantso, have become reference points at national and international forums. Lalao’s other work includes the promotion of good governance and the strengthening of civil society at a national and international level; participation in the national committee on the fight against corruption, and the promotion of her cultural heritage through popular and traditional Malagasy music. She advocates for teamwork and participatory approaches from members of her team and the local population, who are prime beneficiaries of the development projects and a source of untapped knowledge. Lalao works under hard conditions, as some sites she travels to are only accessible on foot. Even though her days are busy, she manages to cope because she has a supportive family.

Coalition of Women Associations (DRV) Fiantso Taratra